Nepalese army kills eight rebels

The government said it doubts the sincerity of the ceasefire offer

The army in Nepal killed at least eight Maoist rebels over the weekend, in the biggest clashes since the Maoists declared a unilateral ceasefire.

The army accused rebels of opening fire first in both the incidents, but Maoist sources denied this.

They say that security personnel took the rebels captive and executed them.

The Maoists declared a three-month unilateral ceasefire earlier this month, but the Nepalese government has not reciprocated.

An army spokesman told the BBC that six rebels died in a clash on Saturday in the central district of Palpa after Maoists opened fire on a regular army patrol.

Injuries

A seven-year-old girl was shot in the hand during the crossfire and sent to Kathmandu for treatment.

A BBC correspondent in the Palpa area said the army had produced five alleged Maoists at a press conference captured after the clash, including a 12-year-old boy.

Two rebels were killed in a second clash in eastern Nepal on Sunday, the army said.

The army said the rebels attacked first in both incidents, but correspondents say it is impossible to verify this allegation.

The government refused to reciprocate after the Maoist truce announced early in September, saying the rebels could not be trusted - a reference to two occasions in the past when the rebels broke ceasefires after unilaterally pulling out of peace talks.

The rebels have been insisting on an interim government and a constituent assembly to draft a new constitution which they believe will clear way for replacing the monarchy with a republican regime.

Nepal has seen many protests in recent months, most of them aimed at King Gyanendra, who seized direct power in February.

More than 12,000 people have died since the rebels launched their insurrection in 1996.

Almost half of them died since peace talks broke down two years ago.